1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to recreational furniture and, more particularly, to tables and benches for collapsed storage or for portable recreational use.
2. The Relevant Technology
Seating and tables have been the subject of numerous designs in furniture over a millennia. Furniture within homes, offices, and other places of meeting may be large, heavy, unwieldy, and may even be assembled in-place. However, another class of seating and tables exists.
Portable, or storable, tables and seating have been used for decades if not centuries. Stools, foldable assemblies, drop-down work spaces (tables, workbenches), and so forth have been the subject of many designs. Banquet tables are often manufactured to be readily collapsible in order to facilitate rapid setup and takedown, storage, moving, and the like.
Similarly, recreational tables have been developed over many years. Recreational tables may be fixed in place. For example, concrete, wood, metal, and the like have been used as the frames, top surfaces, and so forth in tables. Durability has been a major factor in the construction of recreational tables for outdoor use. To a lesser extent, portability has become a factor in the design and construction of recreational tables.
Tables are frequently used in conjunction with chairs. Typically, benches are more efficient than chairs in the ability to seat numerous persons at a table. However, benches need stability. Moreover, benches tend to be quite heavy. An individual chair may be made in a size and weight to be readily transportable, foldable (collapsible), storable, and the like. By contrast, a bench becomes an article of a size similar to that of a table. Moreover, stability often dictates a size or weight that is not readily adaptable to be portable or storable.
Tables have become more portable, collapsible, storable, and the like in more recent years. However, most systems for picnic-type tables are not collapsible, readily storable, lightweight, or the like. Certain small systems have become prevalent in recent years. However, the size and utility of such collapsible systems has been marginal.
Storage is a matter of space, weight, and the availability of people to store and deploy equipment. Tables that are too large become difficult to store without the use of several people. Moreover, storage of tables, benches, chairs, etc., may demand substantial space.
What is needed is a readily storable, collapsible table system having seating integrated therein. For example, it would be advantageous to have a table with a bench integrated within the table. Preferably, the bench could remain within the envelope (projected area or space requirement) of the table when stored. Likewise, it would be advantageous to have a bench that may remain nested within a table during storage.
In certain situations, tables are used for serving, display, and the like. In such situations, seating is not required. Nevertheless, a table that is integrated with a bench or other seating typically deploys to space the seating somewhat away from the table itself. Accordingly, such a table tends to be heavy, bulky, and keeps viewers or passersby a distance away from the table. Accordingly, a table used for display or serving is not easily viewed with attached benches deployed at knee or shin level for a passerby, keeping such passersby away from the table top.
What is needed is a table that is collapsible but capable of containing its own seating. Moreover, it would be advantageous if the seating could be selectively deployed or stored within the envelope of the table without affecting the ability of the table to be used without deployment of the benches.
Also, it would be advantageous to have the benches separable from the table. For example, although benches and tables are often used in conjunction with one another, it may be advantageous to use benches independently from the table. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to be able to remove benches from the table for placement in another desirable location.
For example, around a campfire, or other recreational center of activity, a bench may be necessary or desirable. If benches must remain attached to a table in order for either one or both to be functional, then freedom to move the benches to a more desirable location is substantially limited. It would be advantageous in the art to have a table that may be deployed independently from its benches. Nested storage whether during transportation, or storage during the actual independent deployment of the table alone with the benches unneeded, would be a substantial advantage. Such a system in a size to be functionally equivalent to a banquet or picnic table, and of a weight suitable for portability would be very desirable.